After we had running water, it was then time to get the electrical done throughout the bus. We started with a reclaimed fencing panel and began building our 'power wall'. Based on reviews, affordability, and quality we decided to go with Renogy Premium 400W 12V kit (http://www.renogy-store.com/400W-12V-Eclipse-Premium-Kit-p/kit-premium400mb.htm). We originally had just started with two VMAX SLR 155 ah batteries, but after a month decided to up it to three batteries. They have an 80% discharge rate and a 'promised' 10 year lifespan. We purchased a MicroSolar - 2000W (Peak 4000W) Pure Sine Wave Inverter - with Remote Wire Controller. Used a Square D by Schneider Electric breaker box, Blue Sea Systems fuse box, two ALEKO® 30AINWH White 30A RV Power Cord Twist Lock Inlets, we put one inside on the power wall and one on the outside of the bus, Camco 55501 PowerGrip 25' Cord with 30 AMP Male Standard/30 AMP Female Locking Adapter, three E2 by Scoshe EWFH Single ANL Fuse Holders, and Scosche EANL125 125 amp ANL Fuses.
All that stuff combined, gives you the finished product. We can run our refrigerator, and daily usage items with no problem. The hot water heater seems to drain the batteries pretty quickly so that is going to be something we will have to use conservatively if we are not connected to shore power. However, the hot water heater is propane capable so we can just run it off propane when we are off grid as well.
With our electrical ran, we installed all our outlets flush with the furniture instead of in the walls. This one is on the entertainment center, we have one in the kitchen, and two in our bed area. We also ran all our wiring in casing behind the walls. We used a 1" flexible fire proof blue tubing that you can find at Lowe's or Home Depot.
Once all that was done, it was time to finish the walls. For most of the walls, we used reclaimed wood from my Uncle's fencing company, Fisher and Sons Fencing in McKinney, TX. We painted it white to give a brighter and bigger feel to the small space, and still accented with a dark stained trim. We did start running low towards the end of the bedroom, so some of our walls are cedar that we purchased at Home Depot. You will see that below in our closet and dog area.
Then it was time for the flooring! We try to be as eco-friendly as possible while still being reasonable in cost. I originally wanted to do a reclaimed floor, however, with three dogs and the great outdoors we figured it would not hold up or stay very clean. So we opted for a bamboo floor, bamboo is quickly regenerating so it is a very sustainable choice compared to hardwood. So that was an easy choice for us, we purchased 'brown' bamboo flooring from our local Home Depot and we laid Roberts Air Guard underneath. The air guard gives it some cushion, seals out moisture, and has microban to inhibit mold growth.
The wood burning stove, since we can cook on it is part of the kitchen, but rolls over a bit to the living area too. Our friend at Stainless Drains built us a tray for under the wood burning stove and we framed it out and filled it with white rock and a mixture of genuine crystals. The back splash is from American Tin Tiles, we sprayed the back with a fire proof foam before installing. To the left you catch a glimpse of our fire tools, we found a mini set on Amazon.com and used a garage storage thing meant for brooms and such to hold them on the wall.
Below we have my favorite part of the kitchen, my spice rack. I have admired them on Pinterest for ages and now thanks to JT we have one in our tiny home kitchen. Food storage in general is a pain in a tiny home, but spice storage in any home is a pain. You can never arrange things were you can see everything so you forget what you have. This makes it perfectly convenient during cooking or any other time to go through my spices.
My Aunt sews so I bought all the fabric either on Amazon.com or at JoAnn's and had her sew the curtains, the pillow covers, and the couch cushion cover. We purchased the foam for the couch cushion on Amazon.com.
Across from our closet is our dog 'room', a shelf for bathroom storage, dog storage, and things like that. The very top spot is for our baby, Kalon's, closet. You can see our closet and this area are to two spaces where we used raw cedar. I think the contrast with the white and the dark trim looks great. | The closet and storage baskets are from Michael's and Kalon's closet storage (the striped baskets) are from the Container Store. I used small shoe boxes from the Container Store to organize bodysuits by sizes and will use them for bibs and diapers too. |